[IPSM] Mohawk Nation News

[Devin Butler]

two new articles from the Mohawk Nation News...

(1) IT’S TIME TO EXPOSE ‘SMART CARD’ FOR WHAT IT IS –THE “PASS SYSTEM” OF 
THE OLD DAYS

(2) INDIAN 'SMOKES' HOMELAND SECURITY AGENTS IN FEDERAL COURT: Mohawk Man 
Acquitted

IT’S TIME TO EXPOSE ‘SMART CARD’ FOR WHAT IT IS –THE “PASS SYSTEM” OF THE 
OLD DAYS

MNN.  Jan. 23, 2005.  It looks like Mike Bush of the Mohawk Council of 
Kahnawake and Anteon Corporation of Arlington Virginia are hard at work 
reviving the old “pass system” of Indigenous enslavement.  The new name for 
the old game is the “smart card”.  I guess they don’t think we’re too 
smart.  The old scheme was developed by Indian Affairs Canada to keep us on 
reserves and keep track of our movements.  They didn’t want us wandering all 
over our ancestral territory.  Anyone who stepped off the reserve without a 
pass got jail time and lost even more rights and benefits.  The system was 
copied by South  Africa.  Their notorious apartheid policy aimed at keeping 
the “races” apart eventually earned worldwide scorn.  Hitler liked the idea 
too.  With the help of IBM, he developed a card system on the Jews and set 
up concentration camps.    The authorities in each case had sell-outs to 
help them put these genocidal practices into place. 

Anteon Corp. is one of the largest international card producing companies in 
the world.  They are pushing the “smart card” project on the Kanien’ke:haka 
of Kahnawake.  This electronic tracking of personal histories will have a 
central database to control the flow of information on the Mohawk and 
Crees.  In conjunction with U.S. Homeland Security, it will eventually 
contain information on our social insurance, social security, medicare, bank 
accounts, addresses, purchases, drivers licence, insurance, passports, green 
cards, blood type, medical alerts, allergies, medication, criminal record, 
finger prints, aliases, taxation, Indian status and all manner of private 
information about us.  Who is Anteon anyway?   

The Australian government has the same idea.  In the Australian Financial 
Review of November 2004, they plan a radical new level of intervention in 
the lives of Aboriginal people to modify their behaviour in order for them 
to get welfare. 

Their “smart cards” are payment cards that can store all kinds of 
information and set electronic limitations “to determine what Indigenous 
people can buy using government funded payments, particularly to stop them 
from buying alcohol”.  There too governments are getting key Indigenous 
leaders and bodies to help them set up this program to control their 
people.  Every household will be closely scrutinized to make sure that every 
child has showered daily, attends school and that trash is disposed of twice 
a week.  It didn’t say whether or not it would be tracking their bowel 
movements too.  They say these “smart cards” reduce coercion within and 
between families for food money from ending up being used for the wrong 
reasons.  What about coercion by the state?  And who is the state anyway?

Mark L. Cushing of Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal of Washington DC who 
represents Anteon is concerned about the slow progress due “to the political 
situation in Ottawa”. They have been meeting with Indian Affairs Canada to 
build support and funding for this pilot project in Kahnawake. Indian 
Affairs told them they had to get political support outside and inside the 
Department.

In the past six months they got the colonial style reps of the Cree Nation 
to help them get Indian Affairs to allow them go into other nations.  These 
Crees are willing to let their people and the people of Kahnewake be used as 
guinea pigs for 20,000-25,000 cards.  The people have not been consulted.  
Perhaps this is the first time many Kahnwakeronon have heard of this.  How 
can the Crees give permission on behalf of the Mohawks?  Anteon argues the 
larger the number the cheaper per card.  What a deal!  We can be enlaved at 
a discount! 

There has been no mention of any way to ensure that privacy is maintained 
and the information on the card is not misused.    

Anteon is the largest ID card vendor in the world.  They want to stay on top 
of their game.  They have been meeting constantly with the Mohawk Council of 
Kahnawake.  They want them to serve as the prime contractor for the cards. 
The subcontractor will be LaserCard Systems and an Aboriginal consulting and 
services firm, “Cree ADGA”. Anteon will work with MCK to locate and operate 
manufacturing and/or service jobs and other card production in Kahnawake. 
Cushing is pushing for MCK and the Economic Development Commission in 
Kahnawake to start in the first or second quarter of 2005. 

They are scheduling meetings in the next 30-60 days with senior political 
officials in Ottawa, specifically with Phil Fontaine of the Assembly of 
First Nations, to be part of it.

Anteon has finalized a presentation which has been sent to Mike Bush of 
MCK.  Their goal is to get the Prime Minister’s approval.   They want the 
Prime Minister’s Office to send a directive to Indian Affairs to launch the 
pilot in Kahnawake and in the Cree nation soon.  The people of Kahnawake 
have not been consulted. 

Cushing comes to Montreal every month to check on the project.

This appears to be a rerun of the openly genocidal practices of the Canadian 
and United States governments that tried to control every breath we take.  
They’re making it seem like we have no choice but to take these cards, 
threatening to cut off medicare and other services.  Smart/pass cards is 
fascism disguised as social policy.  It must be exposed for what it is, 
slavery and those working on it should be brought to full account.  The 
genocide has got to stop.    


Kahentinetha Horn
MNN Mohawk nation News
orakwa at paulcomm.ca


 
INDIAN 'SMOKES' HOMELAND SECURITY AGENTS IN FEDERAL COURT
Mohawk Man Acquitted

MNN.  Jan. 23, 2005.  It was United States of America v. Teyonienkwatase
"Nokwa", a 26 years old Kanien'ke:haka, of Akwesasne Mohawk Territory.  He
was arrested on July 1, 2004, Canada Day, for impeding and threatening
federal Homeland Security agents at the Massena Port of Entry. The officers
were Keith Gillen, around 30, and John Stahle, in his late 40's.  Nokwa
happens to be a member of the rapper group "Warrior Blood".

At the border.  "We had gone to watch the fireworks at the Turtle Dome on
Cornwall Island of Akwesane Mohawk Territory", said Nokwa.  The Island is
part of the Akwesasne Territory and lies in the St. Lawrence River between
New York State and the city of Cornwall, Ontario.  To get back to the New
York part of the territory, you have to pass through U.S. Customs  (which is
a pain in the neck).

The traffic was heavy.  When Nokwa pulled up to U.S. Customs with his
brother, Thanaokate, 21 years old, and another passenger, the agent said,
"Look who we've got here!  Where've you been?"  (all my life, or words to
that effect).

He told the boys to get out of their car right there in the lane, rather
than making them pull over to the side.  When they got out and started
walking towards the Customs building, all the lights were off.  "When we
walked in the door, all lights suddenly came back on".   About 10 armed
agents were standing in front of them..

Then they asked questions like, "How much money have you got?
Any goods?  Your licence.  Give me your cell phone".  They told Nokwa, "You
can't phone anyone.  It's a new rule."  Flipping it around and playing with
it, they turned the cell on and off.

Then two men and a woman went out and searched Nokwa's car.  They told him
to sit down.  "Hey, do I have a right to watch you search my car?".  So they
let him watch through the glass wall as they opened the trunk, car doors and
hood and then closed it.  They got mad because they couldn't open the glove
box which was stuck. Nokwa went out, opened it and asked, "Why are you
always harassing me like this?"

The agent replied, "Is that all you people know how to say?   That's all we
ever hear from you people. Get inside before I put you inside".

Nokwa commented, "I could smoke you".

The agent and his buddy smirked at each other, "You threatening to kill me?"


Nokwa clarified, "It just means I could kick your ass".

They went back inside, "Go stand against that wall.  Face it.  Don't turn
around and look at me".

Then big brother shows up.  Just then Nokwa's older brother happened to
drive through Customs with his wife and kids.  He stopped and asked, "What's
going on?".

The agents told him, "You've got no business here.  Get the hell out of here
before we arrest you".

That's when things got out of control.  The officer yelled, "Call all the
boys.  Call the State Police, the Border Patrol.  Get all the back-up.  Call
Immigration and Customs".  (Call George Bush!)

Nokwa told his older brother, "Go call Rakeni (Dad) and tell them they're
arresting me.  Let people know".

The agents brought Nokwa inside the detention room and handcuffed him to the
bench.  An hour later one of the arresting officers was asking, "Do you need
water?  To go to the bathroom?"  He must have seen he was out of line.  He
even said, "I know you weren't threatening me.  I don't think we're going to
charge you.  We are probably going to let you go".

Then the big agent from Massena walked in, "We have to charge this guy.
He's threatened an officer".

The charge.  An hour later they demanded fingerprints.  First they
reluctantly read Nokwa his rights.   They informed him he was being charged
with violation of 18 USC S. 111(a), "forcibly assaults, resists, opposes,
impedes, intimidates or interferences, with their official duties".

Nokwa said, "They said I forcibly assaulted them.  they said they were
scared because of my  body language and tone of voice".

They took him to a small building near the Kentucky Fried Chicken in
Massena.  He was handcuffed to a bench in the questioning room until 9:00
am.  Two new Customs officers showed up and drove him to Plattsburg to be
arraigned in federal court.  The officer's statement described how Nokwa
jumped around, yelling, "Fuck you.  I'll smoke you", with his fists in the
air, threatening and screaming at them.  They said Nokwa told his buddies to
call all the boys and kick their asses.  Nokwa pleaded not guilty to the
charge.

Judge Cutterly told Nokwa how serious it was - a year in jail and bail of
$100,000.   He had a list in front of him of all his previous arrests, such
as,  robbery which was dropped in a grand jury hearing.  Rakeni (Dad) was
trying to get the bail, which was finally set at $5,000.   Judge Cuttlerly
suddenly decided to move Nokwa to the city of Malone, New York.  They
arrived and claimed there was no room in the jail.  The Sheriff then drove
Nokwa to Washington County near Albany.  By then Nokwa had been handcuffed
for 19 hours.

Nokwa's father and lawyer were waiting in Malone with the bail.  They had to
fly to Washington County.  There they wanted Nokwa to plead guilty and not
to fight it.

Six months later it went to trial in Albany Northern District Court.

The Trial.  The jury was made up of ten whites, one black and one Asian.
Most were elderly, only 2 young people. The prosecution painted Nokwa as an
animal that had terrified all these guys.  Everything Nokwa said was twisted
around.  He was capable of kicking their asses.  They feared for their
lives.  The two agents came into court, the younger one with a new skin head
style haircut, both dressed in military style Homeland Security uniforms.


Both took the stand and provided well-rehearsed testimony.  They even got up
and gave a choreographed demonstration of how Nokwa was acting, that his
veins were bulging out of his arms, that he was bouncing on his toes.  "We
were both fearing for our lives and safety", they said.  They both thought
Nokwa could kill them with his bare hands.

Nokwa was getting nervous, "I was even getting scared of myself.  I wouldn't
want to meet me in a dark alley".

In the cross examination, the two witnesses screwed up.  How come these
agents with all their high powered pepper spray, side arms, billy clubs and
backup equipment  like semi-automatic weapons were so frightened of an
unarmed skinny Mohawk?  They didn't even know it was Canada Day!  Both
denied shutting off the lights.  One agent said he was so scared that he
pulled out his pepper spray and asked Nokwa to back up a few feet so he
could spray him.  He was 10 to 30 feet from them most times.  The U.S.
Magistrate was Judge Randolf  F. Treece in the District of Northern New
York, in the federal court building in Albany.

Gillen and Stahle were nervous throughout, drinking cup after cup of water
on the stand.

After lunch Nokwa took the stand and filled in the gaps.  The prosecutor
tried to get him mad.  "When I was on the stand, I pulled out movies of
Rocky and the Blues Brothers who said they would "smoke someone", which
didn't imply physically killing anyone.

At the end the prosecutor lost steam.  He called Gillen back in to go
through his dance routine.  This time Gillen was desperately more animated.
He said Nukwa was screaming at him. "Fuck you.  I'll kick all your asses".
Gillen feared he was going to be on the pavement in a second, that Nokwa
would come back and shoot them.

The outcome.  The jury deliberated for 40 minutes and came back with 'not
guilty'.  If they could have proven their fear was real, then Nokwa would
have been guilty of assault.   Hey!  Homeland Security needs acting lessons!
All that clowning around for nothing.

Nokwa said, the case "showed me a lot about their system, how much they
bullshit and lie".  It was good that the jury was able to see through that.

Kahentinetha Horn
MNN Mohawk Nation News
orakwa at paulcomm.ca

You may send around or reprint these articles by giving credit as follows:
"first appeared in Akwesasne Phoenix Jan. 23, 2005".
info at akwesasnephoenix.com